


Garrus Effect: Off the Grid

by Neo_Ethereal



Series: Garrus Effect [2]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Gen, Science Fiction, Vigilantism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-09
Updated: 2016-07-09
Packaged: 2018-07-22 14:04:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7442044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neo_Ethereal/pseuds/Neo_Ethereal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After cutting ties with C-Sec for good, Garrus Vakarian finds himself figuratively adrift in a galaxy full of crime and corruption.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Garrus Effect: Off the Grid

Having your ship shot through light years of space by a Mass Relay was normally a non-event. However, in Garrus Vakarian's case, being on board what must've been the ricketiest passenger liner in Citadel space, the ride was anything but pleasant. Gravity aboard the thing was inconsistent at best. It twisted and groaned as if it might come apart with one wrong maneuver. The turian wondered now if saving a few creds was worth this kind of needless risk to his life. He also pondered how the owner of this ship ever made it past inspection. He knew space traffic controllers and inspectors were overworked, but this was ridiculous.

After the short yet terrifying relay jump, Garrus was now on the other side of the galaxy from the Citadel, in the Attican Traverse. His credits bought him passage to the moon of Caleston, where he was to meet an old contact. His body seemed on auto-pilot as he went through all of the usual motions involved with space travel: decontamination, security screening, weapons checks, one procedure after the next, some of it necessary, to be sure, but by and large just there to slow Garrus down. His brain was more occupied with his new predicament. He was committed now to this course, whatever that was. Unless the need was a matter of life or death, he couldn't turn to his father now. He burned his bridges with C-Sec. The turian military might take him back in some capacity, but there'd be little in the way of a career future for someone who deserted their assigned duty. Doubt crept into a corner of his mind, but he kept pushing it away when he remembered the faces of the dead in Taysari Ward, as well as the names of those suspected of tainting that eezo. Among them, a man named Jaroth...

Garrus's intense concentration broke when he bumped shoulders with a krogan in the disembarking area.  _Strange,_ he thought, _that I wouldn't have seen that coming_.The angry look from the krogan's yellow eyes as he walked past acutely reminded him of where he was, and what he looked like. Garrus looked down to see he still had his old blue C-Sec armor on. In all of his preparation to leave, he never took it off. He chuckled to himself as he remembered the cliche, that you will never see a turian with his armor off unless he is dead.

The hub of activity on Caleston was centered around mining and energy in its capital city, Syneu. Plenty of jobs to be had in those fields, or in the security companies assigned to protect those miners. Garrus enjoyed the heat here, it being more comfortable to his tough turian skin than the atmosphere in the Citadel. There was a ceaseless wave of activity, with cargo and passengers coming and going around the clock amidst the backdrop of twinkling stars, shining through the city's oxygen dome. Miners and mercs coming off their shifts raced into this hub to enjoy its myriad assortment of bars and gambling establishments. The law here was not nearly as lax as in the Terminus, but considerably less strict than the Citadel. From personal experience, Garrus knew this place could get rough.

He re-focused himself on his objective, tracking where he was to meet his contact by omni-tool. The rendezvous point was in an alleyway created by accident, between two sets of supply crates stacked meters high on either side. This particular section of shipping and receiving was minimally guarded, and with Garrus himself still looking like some sort of cop, he didn't draw any unwanted attention from security.

He adjusted his visor. The display in its blue HUD indicated that he was early; he elected to pass the time by listening to a turian battle march, while he pretended to inspect some innocuous looking crates with his omni-tool. As the fierce, percussive music took hold, he allowed himself to slip into memories of his best battles alongside Commander Shepard: Therum, Noveria, Feros, Ilos, the Citadel itself... he'd never known a fiercer warrior than Shepard.

Garrus never had a problem with humans in general, but he also never expected that they could produce someone who could eclipse every turian war hero he'd ever known. On file, she was listed as combat medic and engineer, but that did little to encapsulate what she brought to the battlefield, and what an incredible inspiration she was to her crew. 'And to me,' he caught himself thinking. Side by side with the guilt he felt, a warmth reached his heart when he thought of her. _N_ _ow you're losing it Garrus. You're just having survivor's guilt. She was a hero to me, sure, but other than that, nothing but my captain--_

He shook away his daydream when he noticed three humans coming down the alleyway with a purpose. The way the man in the center was flanked by the others suggested that they were covering him. They were all dressed in the standard sort of civilian fatigues, the greenish brown tunic and pants that most human miners wore. The man in the center had his black hair slicked back into a short ponytail; his harsh, tanned features suggested that he'd spent plenty of time planetside. He carried a datapad in his left hand as he approached Garrus. Without looking up, he addressed him. "Come to collect on that favor now, Vakarian? Thought you'd given up, gone soft back there as one of C-Sec's lapdogs."

Garrus didn't move, though his mandibles did twitch in irritation. "Hardly. Was just trying to keep a promise to an old friend. Now do you have the information I need?"

The human finally looked up. "I do. But you should know, that whether you're really no longer slumming for C-Sec or not, this info doesn't come without a price." He smiled in a crooked sort of way.

"I figured as much. What's this going to cost me?"

"You're gonna help me with a job. Favor for a favor, if you will. This'll also help me figure out if you're really done with the Citadel. You gotta do somethin' that any C-Sec stiff would never do."

Garrus crossed his arms. "And what's that, Tobias?"

"You're gonna kill some criminals. No arrests, no warrants. If they don't die, your lead will dry up faster than a suitless quarian."

'Humans do love their bad analogies.' Garrus smiled. "We'll see. Just point me in the right direction."

Tobias's lead sent Garrus to a far flung mining operation in another hemisphere of Caleston. His ride was a cheap Mako knock off that bounced and bobbed even more than the vehicle it was based on, but at least he didn't have to pay for it. Riding alone in the cramped, noisy vehicle, across this moon's volcanic landscape, gave him plenty of time to think. His thoughts gathered into a storm, building on all of the guilt and frustration he'd suffered these past months.

His attention focused when he saw the expected cluster of pre-fab structures near the mining facility. It all looked so similar to the Prothean dig site on Therum that he was struck by a bit of deja vu. There were a few cargo trucks parked near the entrance to the mine proper, but there were no signs of a battle or any recent struggle. There was no indication that the Blue Suns group had been here at all. Supposedly this merc, some human named Dominic Martinez wasn't content with the already shady work he did for the Blue Suns, and had taken to forcing miners to smuggle red sand and other nasty substances for him. Garrus had never heard of this guy; he wanted proof before he was going to pull the trigger.

The turian donned his fully sealed helmet and ventured out from the confines of his Mako-lite, equipped with little more than his omni-tool, his Mantis, and a cheap Banshee rifle he picked up in port. He kept the assault rifle out, its scope calibrated to highlight organic lifesigns. He felt the phantom presences of Shepard and Wrex at his flanks. Garrus missed them more than he thought he'd ever be willing to admit to anyone else.

The mine followed a predictable course of unremarkable tunnels and the occasional side passage, mainly meant for storage. There was a small contingent of miners here: human, asari, some salarians, all going about their usual business. Garrus was able sneak past this lot without any trouble. To them, he made no noticeable sound, but inside his helmet, feeding into his ears was one of his favorite "combat mixes," a variety of tracks from turian battle opera and some old, 21st century human music that Shepard called "heavy metal." He liked it.

He couldn't help but be frustrated as he navigated most of this mine without incident and with no trace that the Blue Suns were involved. Subtlety and craftiness had worn out their welcome. Tobias was right now his best lead on the tainted eezo; he didn't want to think about where else he'd have to turn. Dealing with someone like the Shadow Broker was to be saved as the last resort. When he came across what looked like it might be a foreman's office, a pre-fab unit sunk halfway into the deep rock, he decided to be bold.

Mass effect fields kept a reasonably comfortable atmosphere trapped in the mine, so the workers didn't have to wear helmets all the time. This meant that the look of abject shock on this salarian foreman's face was crystal clear to Garrus as he barged in. "I hate to interrupt," he started, "but I need to find someone and I don't have time for games. Where is Dominic Martinez?" Garrus patted the bottom of his rifle.

"I-I don't know who you're talking about!" The salarian shook a bit in his orange jumpsuit. Garrus didn't like scaring this guy but his patience was on edge.

"The Blue Suns merc that was hired to protect you. Don't pretend you don't know." He moved in closer, so that he could loom over this salarian with his tall frame. His helmet was a blank sheen of black and blue, revealing nothing of Garrus's true expressions underneath. "I'm waiting."

A gulp could be seen in the salarian's thin, scaly neck. "If it's credits you want, I'm sure we can come to some kind of arrangement..."

Garrus aimed his rifle at the foreman's knees. "I'm not interested in credits. I want a location for Dominic and proof of what he's doing. Don't make me ask again."

"No, please, he'll kill me if--"

"Trust me, if you help me find him, I guarantee he won't get the chance."

"The-- the datapad. In my desk. I'll unlock it for you, but you have to promise me you'll keep Dominic away from here."

"If he's involved in what I think he is, you won't be worrying about him any more."

One hour and a lot more rough and tumble Mako driving later, Garrus found himself on an ash strewn plain, the middle of seemingly nowhere. The only feature worth noting was that he was on a plateau, the edge of which was about half a click ahead. He decided to hoof it to the plateau's edge, hopefully to get a vantage point on a beacon not far away.

Indeed he did. Through the scope of his Mantis rifle, he spotted a small, blinking crate tucked away with some rocks on the lower plain. It didn't register on scanners with either his omni-tool or his visor, but it was right where the datapad said it would be. That same pad also gave details on how a shipment of red sand was to be smuggled out on an "accidentally" misplaced container of low-yield eezo. The same kind of cheap, tainted stuff that was being found all over Citadel space after the geth invasion. A little way beyond this crate was a parked vehicle, which from here looked like a modified Grizzly battle rover. There were three humanoids nearby, all decked out in top of the line Blue Suns armor. With their helmets and heavy equipment, Garrus couldn't be sure which one was supposed to be Dominic.

 _No turning back now, Vakarian. Without C-Sec looking over my shoulder, it's time to do things my way._ He adjusted some settings on his scope to account for the distance and wind. The built-in VI on his Mantis would help adjust the rounds toward the more vulnerable parts of the victims' bodies. He had the element of surprise and a clear shot...

"Shepard... I'm sorry to let you down. But I can't play by the rules any longer." After one last inhalation of air, Garrus squeezed the trigger.


End file.
